Playing store is not only a great boredom buster, but it also teaches kids about stores, money management and social skills.

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Steps

1

Gather up some fake money. You can make your own money from paper, or get some from board games, such as Monopoly. Be sure you put board game money back when you are done.

Make an ATM. Use thick wooden sticks, such as popsicle sticks. Make a screen and buttons from cardboard pieces. Place on a table in the store. Make bank cards as well.

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2

Decide where your store should be. It could be in the middle of the living room, or be in a room by itself.

3

Choose what to sell. You can pick up items around the house, such as pens and paper. Or, you could make things like clothing or cookies.

4

Name your store. You could name the store after yourself ("Joe's Store) or after the focus of your store ("Grocery-Mart"). It's up to you to be creative!

5

Set up your store. Make a sign with your store's name and place it in a visible location. Use a coffee table or a blanket on the floor to put your items on. Use a toy cash register, jar, or box to put money in.

6

Price your items. Some can be as reasonable as $1 each to as crazy as $550,000! Make small paper signs for each item, stating the price.

7

Advertise. Hand out flyers, hang signs around the house, or make a poster and place it outside your store.

8

Hand out the fake money to your family. Make sure you split it among them evenly. Encourage them to buy items. Make sure to give them correct change!

9

Close your store when all items are sold, or when it's the end of the day. Be sure to clean up after yourself.

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Tips

Provide Details.

Please be as detailed as possible in your explanation. Don't worry about formatting! We'll take care of it.
For example:Don't say: Eat more fats.Do say: Add fats with some nutritional value to the foods you already eat. Try olive oil, butter, avocado, and mayonnaise.

Tips

You could also have plastic or paper bags, so you can bag the groceries during checkout.

You could also have workers to help you with your store. Decide whether or not you're going to pay them and what currency you will use.

You can even make fake food!

You could also sell empty chocolate wrappers or of other things like cookies and crisps and pretend they're the real thing. It would also look realistic in your shop because it would look like they're in the original package they came in. Or if you don't like the wrappers empty, then try stuffing them with tissue,cotton wool or foam, so they look filled.

Let your older and younger siblings be your employees.

Give yourself and your workers strange names!

Make sure customers don't take things without buying them!

Warnings

Don't take anything people won't want you to put in your store, such as jewelry, filled-out diaries,and fragile items.